


Put a Spell on Me

by melodyoficeandfire



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Fairies, Fantasy, Fluff and Humor, Love Potion/Spell, M/M, Mages, Warlocks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 20:15:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28641342
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melodyoficeandfire/pseuds/melodyoficeandfire
Summary: It's common knowledge that combining magic and Google is a recipe for disaster.Too bad Jongdae didn't get the memo.
Relationships: Kim Jongdae | Chen/Kim Minseok | Xiumin
Comments: 14
Kudos: 59
Collections: Vargavinter Round 1





	Put a Spell on Me

**Author's Note:**

> For Prompt: VV1-152
> 
> To my prompter, I hope you won't mind that I twisted some details from your prompt, I couldn't resist after you requested chaos and humor!
> 
> Sending my thanks as well to our lovely mods who provided very great feedback and even granted me extensions! Thanks for all your hard work!
> 
> Lastly, thank you to my friends who provided support and hyped me up! I love you~

💙✨🌙

Junmyeon had always said that Jongdae shouldn't be left unsupervised when using Modern Technology™.

Jongdae likes to think that his friend is just exaggerating.

Their usual conversation about the matter usually goes a little like this:

_“Hyung, technology isn’t that bad.”_

_“Oh no, don’t get me wrong,” Junmyeon explains. “It’s not the internet and technology that I don’t trust. It’s you.”_

_Jongdae gasps, “Hyung! I’m hurt, I’m not that bad.”_

_“I’ll believe it when I see it.”_

And that was the end of that.

Despite Junmyeon’s usual warnings, Jongdae would shamefully admit that he doesn't often listen to his friend. He knows Junmyeon means well, but he can’t help it - sometimes his curiosity overpowers his control.

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


It had become a tradition that when fairies reach a certain age of maturity, they are given the chance to choose how they want to further advance their Magic Studies. At present, there are two options available: First, fairies can transfer to the Human Realm and study alongside human mages. Or second, they can choose to stay in the Fairy Realm with their own kind.

For Jongdae, there is only one answer: the Human Realm. 

He was so excited that he grabbed the chance as soon as it was possible for him to transfer. When he was finally of age, Jongdae signed up to be one of the fairies who will be transferred to the Human Realm to study Weather Manipulation and Elemental Magic. 

In exchange, a batch of human mages will be sent to the Fairy Realm so they can specialize in Ancient Magic, a subject that fairies are experts on.

The exchange program was part of the pact that fairies and human mages agreed upon centuries ago, an attempt for the two races to peacefully coexist and enrich each other's magical repertoire, despite the differences in their culture. 

It’s not like human mages and fairies aren’t allowed to interact regularly, nor are they not allowed to travel to different realms on their own. It's just that Jongdae didn’t have the privilege of doing so when he was younger, so he was very ecstatic at the offered opportunity. 

When he was younger, Jongdae wasn’t allowed to frolic as much as he liked. As the son of the High Sergeant of Lightning, he grew up with the feeling that everyone had their eyes on him, watching his every move, and one fuck-up will be immediately reported back to his father. 

It had been difficult to be a teenager in particular, especially when it’s such a hard concept for Jongdae’s father to grasp. It’s always about the welfare of the fairy community, and that meant limited fun and freedom for him. How can the High Sergeant of Lightning maintain peace if his son is the biggest troublemaker? 

Jongdae loved his old man, but his father's duty felt suffocating, and he longed for freedom away from the Fairy Realm. 

The only time Jongdae felt like a teenager was when he accidentally caused a thunderbolt to strike an ancient oak-tree. It was _not_ as bad as it sounds, but the feeling of fear and adrenaline he went through was quite memorable. 

Now that he’s looking back though, maybe hooking-up inside their Sacred Forest wasn't Jongdae’s brightest idea. Who could blame him though? The air nymph he was with really knows how to use their tongue and Jongdae got a little too excited- 

So the thunderbolt happened, and it caused a small forest fire. Luckily, the forest guardians managed to control the situation before it got dangerous. 

He also got a five-minute earful from his father because of that incident, but Jongdae isn't complaining. His father's old lectures usually last for an hour, and he's glad that his father didn't know the _cause_ of the thunderbolt, or else he is _toast_. 

That strict supervision is what Jongdae lived with during his younger years, so obviously traveling to the Human Realm is out of the question. 

But now that freedom is right at the tip of his fingers, there was no way that he’d be stuck reading dusty, disintegrating scrolls about Ancient Magic while being supervised by his own parents. 

He really loved his folks, but being in the Human Realm meant _freedom and fun._ And he wanted to have a taste of it in an exciting new world.

But Jongdae knew reaching his dreams wouldn't be easy. So while he was preparing for his application, he had also begged Junmyeon, a close family friend, to come with him to the Human Realm. 

His friend Baekhyun, a sun fairy, had already pursued his advanced studies a year ago. Jongdae originally wanted to go with him, but he figured that he might as well kiss his freedom goodbye if his father even had an inkling that the troublesome sun fairy will also be in the Human Realm. 

Jongdae had to let the idea go last year and strategized further, that's why he went with Junmyeon. Unlike Baekhyun, Junmyeon is a responsible water fairy who often looked after Jongdae when he was still a child, so he's in good graces with Jongdae's parents. 

Since Junmyeon is older than him, Jongdae knows that the opportunity to go to the Human Realm had already been offered to the water fairy. The only difference was that Junmyeon chose to stay in the Fairy Realm when it was first offered. 

But Jongdae knew that all the water fairy needed was a little nudge, Junmyeon’s thinly-veiled interest in the human world didn’t escape his watchful eyes when Baekhyun came back to them during his last school break, carrying so many souvenirs and trinkets in his luggage. Of course, Jongdae milked that knowledge for all it’s worth.

_“I don’t see why this is necessary,” Junmyeon tells him as he puts back the book he was reading back on the library shelf. “I aced my “Introduction to the Human Realm” subject, I think I’ve already learned what is needed to know about humans.”_

_Jongdae scoffs, “Because that's the boring route! Why settle with just reading about them when you can experience being with them first hand?”_

_“Come on,” Jongdae continues before Junmyeon could answer. “I know that you wanted to have that sword that lights up! I saw you mooning over that magazine Baekhyun brought with him!”_

_“You mean the lightsaber?” There’s a sparkle in Junmyeon’s eyes, and Jongdae smiles in victory. He finally got him: hook, line, and sinker._

It had been three years since that conversation, and Jongdae hadn’t regretted his choice a single bit. 

Over the past few years, Jongdae learned so many things about the Human Realm, including the difference that humans possess when it comes to magic. For one, Jongdae learned that human mages cannot harness raw energy the way fairies can, not because they don’t have any, but because they weren’t ‘wired’ that way. 

At a young age, fairies were trained to trust their instinct when using magic, encouraging them that their powers can be as enormous as their imagination. They are encouraged to be wild and to think outside the box. Meanwhile, humans are too cautious. They rely on structured ‘recipes’ called incantations and spells to summon magic because humans believe that relying on pure instincts and emotions can be dangerous and damaging. 

Aside from spells, human mages also use these thin wooden sticks to wield their magic the way they wanted to. Baekhyun explained to him that these wooden sticks are called wands, and most human mages use them so they can properly wield magic. There were a few powerful ones who didn't need them, but those beings are very few. 

Aside from their magical side, Jongdae had also learned so much about their culture: their food, their characteristics, their ideals, and their beliefs. 

But Jongdae's favorite discovery in the Human Realm is called technology.

It’s something that Jongdae had been pretty excited about after Baekhyun first explained its existence. The sun fairy had also given them an intense crash course about it ( _An Idiot's Guide to Humans and Technology_ ) after learning that Jongdae and Junmyeon will soon be joining him in the Human Realm. 

_“I won’t let you two embarrass me in front of my human friends,” Baekhyun hissed, shoving a manual called ‘Internet 101’ when he went to their place._ _  
__  
__“Relax Baek,” Junmyeon assured the sun fairy as he held the manual in his arms. “Jongdae and I have discussed having the wee-fee installed in our apartment as soon as we settle down. Learning this will be a piece of cake.”_

_“It’s pronounced as Wi-Fi,” Baekyun screamed. “Please, just read my notes alright?”_

The manual was well-written and interesting to read. Baekhyun’s attention to detail was so effective to the point that it had elicited different reactions from Jongdae and Junmyeon after reading them. Jongdae was fascinated, while Junmyeon got paranoid. For someone who was taught to explore his creativity, Junmyeon didn’t really take advantage of it. 

Inside the manual, Baekhyun explained in detail a thing called _‘Google’,_ an online search engine that became a staple in a human’s life. 

It was amazing, the idea of having access to a wide range of knowledge right at the tip of your fingers. No wonder people got dependent on it. 

And having access to that excited Jongdae the most. 

No more dusty old tomes? 

No more scrying in the mirror or talking about the century-old oak tree? 

Truly amazing.

It’s not like he hated visiting the library, nor he hated the idea of talking to Gilda, the oak-tree spirit that lives at the edge of their forest. Jongdae could say that Gilda is the fairy equivalent of Google in the Fairy Realm, except Gilda is an asshole. 

Why does Gilda require so many sacrifices? Then ends up answering with _“The stars are not yet aligned for me to see this future.”_

So much for an all-knowing oak-tree spirit.

_Fucking Gilda._

Gilda was a waste of time, and Google was the gift that the universe provided to him. 

It’s not like wanting immediate answers was a mortal sin. Jongdae just wanted a better and modern approach when it came to seeking answers. 

So obviously, Googling in his spare time isn't a big deal. If Junmyeon asked, he'd answer that it's simply just another one of his harmless research. 

Jongdae’s previous experiences with the electronic search engine, limited to furthering academic and scholarly pursuit under Junmyeon’s watchful eye, had been a success so far.

So he figures, what’s one recreational pursuit of knowledge outside academic purposes? 

It’s not like he could fuck that up. 

_Right?_

And with that line of thought, he opens his laptop, typing away in glee while his roommate is away. 

Twenty minutes of Googling eventually ended up with him browsing through a sketchy page that screamed ‘witchcraft'. It's totally beyond his interests and not the actual reason why he's opened Google in the first place, but one article caught his attention, and he couldn't let the idea go, so he clicked and started reading. 

The headline simply said, “ _Get The Love of Your Life in Just Three Minutes!”_ along with some weird looking yellow faces donning heart eyes that Jongdae hardly knows how to interpret. After clicking on the link, the page immediately talked about potions, together with a list of ingredients with instructions on how to mix them. 

Potion-making isn’t something that Jongdae knows about until he entered the Human Realm. But as someone who had practiced magic all his life, Jongdae is pretty confident that he knows his shit around simple stuff such as potion-making. It’s probably like cooking, which he had mastered after living with Junmyeon for years. He had to learn or else they would die from either starvation or food poisoning. 

After reviewing the article and the required ingredients, Jongdae thinks that it’s a pretty innocent love potion. 

According to the post, once applied to the skin, the potion will enhance affection from the object of their desire as soon as they’re in proximity. 

Jongdae thinks that the potion isn’t the worst thing to ever happen in the world, and it could definitely use more love at the moment.

Okay, the last bit was a lie. It was not the first thing he thought of. 

The first thing that actually came to his mind was that he probably wouldn’t hate it if his crush, a certain frost mage named Minseok, looked at him with his sparkling, wide eyes with something that’s more than brotherly-affection.

Jongdae wouldn’t also be opposed to some very-affectionate cuddles and some not-so-innocent peck on the cheeks ( _or maybe even a kiss on lips!_ ) if the opportunity presents itself, even if a potion helped to make it happen. 

Jongdae zones out for three minutes as he thinks about Minseok’s plush, soft-looking lips and how it tastes against his.

Yeah, _very nice._

Jongdae wasn’t actively looking for magical-related things when he started ‘surfing’ _(He isn’t quite sure yet why it’s called that way_ ) the Internet. The truth was, he just wanted to read more on this highly anticipated event called, “Valentine’s Day”, that he heard from other students. It’s the first time during his three years of stay in the Human Realm that he’ll get the chance to celebrate such an event. 

His school breaks usually fall around the month of February, but around this time his mother requests him to go back and spend time with them, so Jongdae never had a chance to experience it in all its glory. 

But this year is different, his parents had told him that they would be away on a trip across the Fairy Realm, so he’s free to spend his break however he wished. And that invitation to extra freedom was all that Jongdae needed to hear as plans started brewing in his head - with Valentines being on top of the things he wanted to experience during his stay inside the Human Realm.

Educating himself about the holiday led him to jump from site to site, and now he’s way too deep into reading the article. Now Jongdae is fairly convinced that he could whip up a small dose of it in a couple of days. 

Jongdae thinks that finding the love potion recipe is probably the Universe’s way of pushing him to finally act out on the crush he’s been harboring for almost two years.

Maybe it's finally time to win Minseok’s heart. 

Ever since he knew Minseok, Jongdae had come to accept that a human’s beauty could rival even the most exquisite goddesses from his own realm. For him, no other human or fairy even came close. When he mentioned this to Junmyeon, the water fairy simply pointed out that he just developed a Minseok-tunnel vision, obviously, no one else could compare.

Jongdae can’t even argue, Minseok is simply _perfect._

Minseok is one of the most popular frost mages in their academy, amongst the students and the faculty. The majority of their professors would brag about his prowess in magic - often using him as their example star student in practical lessons. Other students would gush about his ability to harness his powers, being one of the fastest human magic-wielders among students. He doesn't even need a wand as other human mages do. 

Minseok's quick wit, intellect, and not to mention kindness, only adds to his charms. He is one of the students who always has the top marks in class, and he's recognized as one of the elite-class mages in school. 

Despite his already full-load as a student, Minseok also volunteers to be a part-time lecturer in the lower year's class. He also conducts short tutoring sessions for a few students upon the recommendation of professors.

Just thinking about Minseok makes Jongdae shiver. He can still distinctly remember how the sudden roars of lightning outside their window after Minseok smiled at him for the first time, caused a black-out in the whole building. 

Jongdae got in trouble for manipulating the weather, but the make-up classes and Junmyeon’s lecture were _so_ worth it. 

The thing about Jongdae is that when he gets a little _too_ excited, and the weather gets affected. 

He thought that the incident inside the Sacred Forest was a one-time thing, but it came back with a vengeance together with Jongdae's hopeless crush for Minseok. 

Jongdae didn't even need to fight for a spot in Minseok’s tutoring session since his professor in Weather Manipulation added his name at the top of the list after that incident. 

It is still one subject that Jongdae has yet to master, especially when feelings are involved. 

It’s not like he can help it sometimes. He _swears_ that when Minseok sits right beside the window at exactly nine in the morning, the sunlight hits him just right and his silver-hair is illuminated with a halo, and he _glows_. 

It’s like seeing a Disney Prince in real life. _(Yes, he knows what those are, Junmyeon had a Disney phase during their first week and dragged Jongdae to watch everything.)_

Jongdae thinks that that experience in itself is a magical experience altogether, and the sighs that came out of his mouth, together with half of his class, agree with that notion. 

How could Jongdae's heart not gallop wildly at the sight? 

Baekhyun told him that Minseok, in human terms, is what they call a ‘dreamboat’ (Jongdae doesn’t quite understand this bit. How did the frost mage suddenly become a mode of transportation? Is it some sort of level of magic that Jongdae hasn’t reached yet), so he sort of understands him for reacting like that. 

After minutes of deciding if the potion is worth doing, Jongdae figures he might as well try it. He knows that his big fat crush on Minseok isn’t going to go away anytime soon, so he might check what the fuss is all about. 

Jongdae knows that he has too many people (and fairies) to compete against, and he needs all the help that he can get. 

So he tinkers around the page trying to see if the recipe is available in a pdf format. As he scans the content, Jongdae notices that the footnote portion isn’t legible enough to understand. Jongdae wonders if it's something important, but he knows no one reads the footnotes anyway, so it might be something trivial, so he prints the recipe and promises himself that he’ll do it during the weekend. 

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


Turns out, brewing a potion is really like cooking, it requires proper timing, the right amount of heat, proper tools, and ingredients in accurate proportions: iron phosphate, crushed beetroot, peppermint, pearl dust, and moonstone. 

Once the ingredients are properly chopped and mixed, Jongdae soaks them in oil overnight as the recipe tells him to do. 

It says that the concoction is ready to be used the morning after, so with one final sniff at the odorless mixture, Jongdae mixes the final product with some of his perfume. 

Once he psyches himself enough to ask Minseok out, all he has to do is spritz some of it on his body and say the magic words.

Jongdae tucks himself in that night with a huge grin on his face, feeling satisfied and excited at how he easily made the potion. He's at the point where he's already happily imagining all the dates he’s going to have with frost mage, and he's giddy with all the romantic scenarios he had in his head. 

But just before Jongdae closes his eyes, he briefly wonders if the red fumes that appeared after mixing the ingredients were normal. 

The article didn’t really mention anything about that, perhaps it’s what the blurred footnote is trying to tell him, but oh well.

What’s the worst thing that could happen?

  
  


~~_WARNING:_ ~~

_~~Make sure to add the most important ingredient of the mixture: the essence of your beloved. Otherwise, your other friends might end up completely falling in love with you too!~~ _

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


Jongdae's to-do list in bagging Minseok's heart has five easy steps:

  1. Successfully concoct a potion - CHECK 
  2. Douse himself with the potion and pay Minseok a visit and ask him out for Valentine’s Day.
  3. Wear the perfume again to enhance the date experience and successfully woo Minseok. 
  4. Confess his feelings once the potion wears off
  5. Live happily ever after.  
  




Totally doable. 

Jongdae decides to tell his roommate all about his plans, brandishing the love potion in Junmyeon’s face in the morning. Then he goes off about the wonders of the internet and the amazing spells it offers. 

Judging by the furrow on the water fairy's eyebrows, Jongdae can tell Junmyeon isn’t the least bit impressed. 

“You never listen, do you?” Junmyeon huffs. 

"Hyung- it's not as bad as you think!" 

"I don't know Jongdae," Junmyeon says as he inspects the vial filled with the love potion, "I think you should be careful."

“I don’t need non-believers in this house,” Jongdae scoffs, he snatches the bottle out of Junmyeon’s hands and keeps it in his pocket.

“I pay for more than half of the rent you moron,” Junmyeon rolls his eyes. “And it’s not like I don’t support you, I just need you to be safe about this.”

“You’re worrying too much Myeonnie, it’ll be fine.”

Junmyeon sighs, “I sure hope you’re right.” 

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


Jongdae wears the concocted perfume like armor the next weekend, determined that he can prove Junmyeon’s worries wrong. 

He decides that testing the potion on a Saturday is the best option, there aren’t a lot of people at school and it'll help him lessen the anxiety he's feeling. Classes scheduled on Saturdays are mostly for graduate students, but these are usually held at the field, _if_ he does fuck up, at least he won’t have a big audience. 

Jongdae is glad that as one of Minseok’s tutees, he can use academics as an excuse to see him on Saturdays.

Jongdae knows that Minseok goes to school early because he attends an advanced course in Elemental Magic (thank you Baekhyun for looking into Minseok’s schedule), and given the early hours, he knows Minseok would appreciate a good cup of coffee. So Jongdae drops by a cafe near their school, planning to buy some for him and Minseok. 

Jongdae stands in line after entering the cafe, groaning a little to himself, it’s just his luck that he just got stuck with the morning crowd.

He never understood the craze behind “coffee”, since he isn’t a big fan of the taste. It’s probably because he’s a morning person, so he doesn’t need any strong drink to help him get up in the morning. But he’s seen the wonders it does to people, and the difference between their pre-coffee and post-coffee phase is too much for his brain to handle. 

He remembers feeling a bit intimidated the first time he saw the effect it has on Baekhyun, beverages shouldn’t have that much power over people. But he supposes it has its purpose, he had seen Minseok during his pre-coffee phase and that had been an experience, the frost mage looked like a dangerous, prowling beast with his furrowed brows and his beautiful lips turned into a scowl. It isn’t Jongdae’s proudest moment that he started sweating nervously at the sexy sight. 

It reminds him of the Winter Nectar that his father often drinks when the heat is unbearable inside the Fairy Realm, it helps his old man cool down. 

He’s examining the menu when he feels the hair stand at the back of his neck, feeling like there’s someone staring at him.

He subtly looks at his surroundings, trying to play it cool. After living in the human realm for years, there are just some things that still unnerves Jongdae, like weirdos who don't seem to know how to mind their own business.

But there doesn’t seem to be anyone that gives off weird vibes within the vicinity, so Jongdae brushes it off, hoping that he’s mistaken, it’s too early for creeps to be out and about right now. 

He makes it to the counter and proceeds to tell his order to the cashier. 

Later on, Jongdae is almost on his way out with the drinks when he crashes into someone else. He stumbles on the man’s chest with a small _“oof”,_ and he thanks his fast reflexes that he has a firm grip on the drinks, or else he’ll be dripping in coffee already. Jongdae can feel large hands hold his hips slightly to balance him after the impact, but he backs away as soon as he gets his balance.

“Sorry about that cutie,” a familiar voice replies.

Jongdae looks up and sees Chanyeol, his fire mage friend, wearing a too-big grin on his face. It kind of reminds Jongdae of the look that some serial-killers have in the movies he’s watched with Junmyeon, but he thinks it’s not really nice to say that.

Aside from the unusual comment, Jongdae feels like there’s something off about him, but he can’t seem to identify what it is. 

“Dude, watch where you’re going,” Jongdae complains as he checks the drinks in his hand.

“But it’s so hard to take my eyes off you _,”_ Chanyeol says in his deep husky voice, Jongdae notices that there’s a lot of action going on in his friend’s face with the way he keeps waggling his eyebrows, and it reminds Jongdae of the time when Baekhyun complained that Chanyeol’s come-hither look isn’t as sexy as he led himself to believe.

Jongdae squints his eyes at his friend, he’s only seen this look on Chanyeol when their group of friends is out on a Friday night and the fire mage is trying to flirt up a storm, eye twitching, wearing a manic grin on his face. 

Or maybe Chanyeol just lacks sleep, he looks absolutely the same when he’s sleep-deprived. The fire mage told their group chat two nights ago that his extra credit project for their Technomagical Infusion class is due this week, so it’s probably all the extra coffee in his veins that makes him a bit loopy. 

“Chanyeol, are you okay?” Jongdae asks.

“I’m fine, but not as fine as _you._ ” 

Did Jongdae just hear Chanyeol purr? Yeah, he thinks it’s time to go before it turns into another level of weird, it’s not even 8 am yet.

“You know what, I’m just going to go,” Jongdae slowly backs away, completely weirded out with Chanyeol’s behavior. He hopes the fire mage will sleep once his project is done. 

On his way out, Jongdae hears Chanyeol scream, _“I hate to see you leave, but I love watching you go!”_

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


Minseok is sleeping on his desk when Jongdae enters the classroom. There isn’t anyone yet inside the room, and it’s understandable, it takes a herculean effort to attend classes that are earlier than 10 am. Jongdae doesn’t know how some people can constantly do it. 

He smiles fondly at the lone frost mage snoozing softly in the room, half of his face is covered by his arms that he’s using as his temporary pillow. The half that isn’t covered is squished up and is a result of Minseok’s attempt to hide his face inside his arms, trying to make himself comfortable in such a cramped space.

Jongdae feels his heart swell with so much affection as he looks at Minseok. The frost mage always works so hard, even when he doesn’t need to. Minseok always allot two hours of tutoring sessions to help Jongdae and other students catch up with their lessons, and that’s on top of the load that he handles as a part-time lecturer and a full-time student. He never fails to smile and care for Jongdae ever since he took him under his wing, _(You can call me hyung, Jongdae_ ) this is especially so after Minseok learned that he came from the Fairy Realm.

Jongdae remembers how his heart thudded so loudly in his chest when Minseok’s eyes sparked with so much curiosity when he told him of his origin. But he never pried nor pestered him with any invasive questions (based on Junmyeon’s stories, some people can be so weird). Despite his father’s earlier reluctance and stern warnings about humans, Jongdae has never felt safer around Minseok.

Their growing friendship had also allowed Jongdae to see that sometimes, there are cracks in Minseok’s perfect mask, the dark bags under his eyes, his strained smiles when he conducts his lectures, or the sluggish movements during their tutoring sessions. 

Even then, Jongdae knows Minseok would never let him carry half of that, but he hopes Minseok will let him be by side all throughout at the very least.

Jongdae wishes he can take care of the human mage the way Minseok takes care of him and everyone around him. Minseok always put this unnecessary responsibility on himself. Jongdae knows that Minseok doesn’t need a knight in shining armor, since Minseok is a better warrior than he is, but Jongdae thinks it’d be nice if he can hold Minseok’s hand and offer his support anyway. 

Jongdae really hopes that Minseok will allow him to take care of him one day, the way he deserves to be cared for. And he had hoped that asking him out on that date is the first step. 

With the way the mage is still sleeping so soundly though, Jongdae decides that maybe asking him out on a date might have to take a raincheck. So he softly trots over to Minseok’s seat, planning to just leave the coffee and write him a note before silently retreating. 

The Universe, however, seems to like fucking with Jongdae today. 

Several things happen all at once. 

First, just when he’s about two chairs away from his target destination, Jongdae, unfortunately, trips on his own feet. He swears he saw his life flashed before his eyes as the image of the scalding hot coffee spilling all over the frost mage fills his mind.

Except none of it happens, in a split second, fog fills the room, and the coffee cups in question are suddenly completely covered by ice, effectively trapping them midair. Jongdae isn’t even done processing the whole thing yet when he feels a hand pulling him forward, directly into the lap of one suddenly awake Kim Minseok, who’s wearing a smirk on his face. 

It’s exactly like one of those scenes in the anime that Baekhyun secretly likes to watch. Jongdae often thought those stuff were exaggerated, but he guesses he’s just as clumsy and unlucky as the main lead.

He could only hope that Minseok is his dashing other main lead if that is the case. 

“H-hyung,” Jongdae croaks in greeting, heartbeat hammering inside his chest. Considering the fact that Minseok is only about an inch away from his face, Jongdae counted it as a win that he only stuttered once.

“You should be careful where you’re walking, Dae.” Minseok smiles at him, gently putting his hand on Jongdae’s lower back, securing him in his ‘seat’.

“Sorry hyung,” Jongdae looks away, “I just wanted to bring you coffee- and uh-”

“Hush,” the frost mage grabs hold of Jongdae’s chin, immediately drawing his attention. “There’s no need to apologize, accidents happen. Are _you_ okay though? That must’ve been quite a shock.” 

The whole scene feels surreal to Jongdae. He still feels a bit heady, the combination of coffee-induced adrenaline and confusion caused by strange interaction earlier with Chanyeol has left Jongdae reeling. 

Jongdae tries to absorb everything around him, their closeness, Minseok’s furrowed eyebrows, and the hands that are softly caressing his back. He tries not to choke on his own spit the moment his mind registers where he’s sitting ( _He’s_ _on Minseok’s lap and his hands are holding his waist!!!! His thighs feel so strong!!)._

His internal breakdown aside, Jongdae wonders if the potion is already in effect, he’s never seen Minseok be _this_ affectionate and touchy before, and he is so close to losing his mind. He never imagined it’d be this potent. 

For fuck’s sake, Jongdae wore the potion to get confidence, but it’s like his bravery is slipping through him like sand at this moment. The closer Minseok gets, the more Jongdae feels like short-circuiting. 

“I'm okay," Jongdae finally croaks out. "I spilled your coffee though,” he adds with a pout. 

Minseok looks in the direction where the said coffee cups are stuck in icicles, and Jongdae hears him snort. 

Jongdae feels Minseok’s hand tuck a loose hair behind his ear. And the motion makes Jongdae straighten up and that's when he notices that Minseok is wearing an adoring look on his face, only an inch away from him.

Jongdae is thanking his old self who forgot to have a haircut a few weeks back. 

“Thanks for going all through this trouble Dae. You didn’t have to though,” Minseok smiles at him, his eyes curved into half-moons. It’s a mesmerizing sight.

Jongdae’s bites his lip in worry, still feeling a bit embarrassed and sorry for himself for causing such a scene. He’s about to argue some more but the response dies on his throat when Minseok leans _even_ closer. And is he actually looking at Jongdae’s lips? 

He couldn’t help but tremble at the intensity of Minseok’s undivided attention. “Jongdae, listen-” Minseok says, still looking at Jongdae’s lips.

If Jongdae is wearing fairy wings right now, Minseok can probably see it twitching in excitement. Is Minseok going to kiss HIM? Jongdae wouldn’t mind that at all. 

_Yes. Yes. Yes._ Jongdae gleefully chants in his head. 

“Jongdae, I was wondering--”

“Minseok?”

Jongdae startles badly when he hears a new voice, scrambling out of Minseok’s lap and almost toppling over in his haste. Minseok grabs him, jerks him upright, and steps in front of him as if to shield him from the new person in the room. It would be a lot more helpful if Jongdae isn’t an inch taller than him. But he internally coos all the same. 

Yixing stares from the doorway, looking wary at the scene before him, ”I’d love to hear more of the story behind this, but I only dropped by here to let you know that I need your help. You weren't answering your calls at all. Professor Jeong had an emergency and canceled our class this morning, but he asked for our help with the Mathamancy scrolls for his next class." 

Minseok winces, “Right, I guess we need to look into that.” The frost mage looks at Jongdae with an apologetic smile on his face, “Sorry Dae, I would’ve walked you back but we have an emergency.”

“It’s okay, hyung,” Jongdae assures him. “That’s more important anyway.”

“Wait- was there anything you wanted to tell me by the way?”

“No,” Jongdae lies. “I just wanted to give you coffee is all.”

“By the way about the coffee-” Minseok starts.

 _“Minseok,”_ Yixing shrills from the doorway, “If Professor Jeong decides to add more work because we’re late, I’m gonna kill you.” 

Minseok sighs, “Guess I'll see you soon?”

“Sure, bye hyung!” Jongdae waves at Minseok on his way out. 

On his way home, Jongdae wonders what would’ve happened if Yixing didn’t interrupt them. He sighs at the lost chance, Yixing's sudden appearance effectively killed the mood together with the excitement churning inside Jongdae’s gut. 

Stupid emergency. 

A thought pops up in Jongdae’s mind, perhaps Minseok wouldn’t be as fazed by the emergency if the potion is stronger.

Right, maybe that’s it. 

Time to bring out the big guns then. 

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


Jongdae thanks his past self for bookmarking the page where he found the love potion recipe. He scrolls down the page to find notes that can help him out on his problem. 

He really should’ve thought about checking out the comments section first before exerting any effort. Baekhyun often told him that the comments can be a way to gauge out any content when surfing the internet, so Jongdae begins to scan the content. 

When he eventually reaches the bottom of the page, Jongdae realizes that the comments feature is turned off, and the only comment that he can find is added by the author themselves. 

He checks it out anyway, there should be some other clues in there that can help him determine what went wrong on his first try. 

The title catches his eyes, "The next step to add strength to the potion involves casting a spell!" 

The method requires an incantation, a new moon, and the potion to be placed in the middle of a chalk-drawn rune. As Jongdae reads the content of the incantation, he finds out that it is written in words that he isn’t sure of the language of. He can make out the letters but he doesn’t understand what he’s pronouncing. Since there isn’t any helpful dictionary and translator online, it’s probably another dead language here in the Human Realm. 

On the night of the new moon, Jongdae stands outside his balcony with all the required materials prepared, opting to do it in a more urban way than the post instructed him to. 

_Inside the forest at midnight? No thanks._

Jongdae really hopes he didn’t fuck up the pronunciation _too_ badly. He tried watching some language 101 videos but since there aren’t too many reliable references, he just added intonations that sounded nice and majestic in his head. He can only hope that he isn’t offending some ancestor that would roll in their grave if they heard the way Jongdae botched up the language. 

Jongdae is only mildly disappointed that there weren’t even any bright sparkles of light after he finished chanting. Heck, the candlelight he lit didn’t even flicker for a second.

Jongdae supposes that at least it's safer compared to the fumes he saw after successfully completing the potion. 

Now, all he needs to do is wait for the next best opportunity to use the potion. 

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


Jongdae is no virgin, nor is he clueless when it comes to the romance department. 

He is also a self-proclaimed sap, so he will admit that he often thinks about how his first kiss with Minseok will go, and how Minseok’s lips might feel against his own. 

Jongdae hasn’t really thought that much about it whenever he kissed someone in the Fairy Realm. Each and every individual he shared a kiss with is a treasured memory, but that's all there is, no sentimental feelings, no attachment. He just thought that it was an end to a greater, sexier mean.

But based on the movies that Junmyeon liked to watch, kissing is _special_. It's supposedly an exhilarating, fluttery, butterfly-inducing feeling, where time stops and sparks fly. A kiss is a language of its own, it has the ability to express feelings and emotions that transcends any words known to man and fairies alike. 

In essence, supposedly a kiss can be the most magical thing one can experience. 

Whenever Jongdae watches another movie with Junmyeon and Baekhyun, he feels skeptical that kisses would always feel as special as the movies described them to be. But then he thinks of Minseok, his plush and lovely lips that look so inviting and captivating whenever he smiles or speaks, and Jongdae’s head spins. 

If he ever got the chance, Jongdae imagines that his hands would automatically clutch Minseok’s hair when he finally pulls the mage close to him. 

During lectures, Jongdae watches how Minseok’s brows adorably furrow when he diligently listens and takes notes. Sometimes, whenever he sees the frost mage eat his breakfast, a blueberry muffin that’s sold outside the campus, Jongdae thinks about licking off the traces of blueberry from the corner of Minseok's mouth. 

He thinks about chasing the tangy, sweet taste away until he can only devour the pure taste of Minseok and nothing else. 

He wonders if the taste of Minseok’s smile is as delicious as it looks like. 

One time, after Jongdae finally succeeded in creating a thunderbolt that isn’t fueled by pure emotions, Minseok’s lips bloomed into a beautiful, bright smile, looking so proud of Jongdae. 

Maybe feeling that magic isn’t too impossible after all. 

  
  


💙✨🌙

Despite Jongdae’s doubt that the incantation will have an effect on the potion, he vows that he’ll wear it again the next time he sees Minseok. Effective or not, having something that will boost his confidence shouldn’t hurt.

So by Friday night, Jongdae spritzes perfume on his body while getting ready for his review sessions. The thing is, during Friday nights, Minseok likes to schedule the review sessions inside his apartment. But his place is a few kilometers away from the campus area, so Jongdae borrows Junmyeon’s car to go there, he hates taking the bus.

Jongdae remembers the fight he had with Junmyeon the first time the water fairy brought the car home. The two of them didn’t know how to drive during that time so having one didn't make any sense. 

But Junmyeon, through his sheer force of will, managed to learn just so he can prove to Jongdae how useful it can be. 

Jongdae would admit that it did have its perks, and so he demanded the water fairy teach him right after the road trip that Junmyeon organized. 

Fast forward to the present, the two of them now take turns in using the car, and Jongdae begged Junmyeon if he could borrow it whenever he goes to Minseok’s place.

_“Myeonnie, please. I need to look cool in front of Minseok.”_

Junmyeon only agreed after Jongdae promised to do the cooking for three months. It’s not like it was difficult, and cooking is another thing that he can use to impress Minseok anyway. 

On his way to Minseok’s place, he sees his friends Sehun and Jongin standing by the bus stop. 

It’s always a pleasure to see how the two of them managed to be such good friends. He knows Sehun had a hard time adjusting in the Human Realm during his first few months of living here, and while Jongdae wanted to invite the wind fairy to live with him and Junmyeon, Sehun had declined the offer, choosing to live independently so he can learn to stand on his own two feet. That’s how Sehun got to know Jongin, his current roommate. 

It takes Jongdae by surprise that the two of them are standing at the bus stop. He knows that Jongin can teleport anywhere he wants, he and Sehun usually go home together to save bus money. There must be something wrong if Jongin is actually considering public transportation. So he slows down by the sidewalk to catch their attention, thinking of offering them a ride, catching a bus on Friday nights is always hell. 

Jongdae puts the car on idle as soon as he gets near and he rolls down his window to call their attention, “Hey guys, I’m going the same way, you guys should just ride with me.”

It’s all types of weird that instead of the cheerful _hyung~_ that Sehun and Jongin usually greet him with, what he got instead are wide-eyed looks of surprise, followed by the sight of the two younger boys having a brief scuffle over the shotgun seat. It's surprising, considering that both of them never liked it before, Sehun says he doesn’t like being so close to the smell of the car freshener, while Jongin conks out immediately after sitting so he prefers more room at the back.

Jongdae can only watch as Sehun wraps his long arms around Jongin’s neck like he’s trying to attempt a chokehold, and Jongin retaliates by tickling Sehun’s ribs. So Jongdae is stuck in his car staring at the bizarre sight, utterly confused and wondering if he should zap the two boys just to get them to stop. 

Jongdae tries to call their attention first, “Hey, is everything alright? We should get going before we get stuck in traffic.”

The scuffling stops and the two boys are now staring at Jongdae with so much intensity he feels like he’s prey that’s soon to be devoured. Jongdae can’t seem to describe the look on Sehun’s and Jongin’s face but it oddly reminds him of that weird morning that Chanyeol had that come-hither look on his face that Jongdae wishes he’ll never be at the receiving end of ever again. 

“Are you two okay? Do you not want to ride with me?” 

“Oh I’m riding _you_ alright,” Sehun answers smoothly. Jongdae tries not to jerk at the double-meaning and pretends not to understand. There must be something really wrong today with these two today.

Meanwhile, Jongin gasps at Sehun's words, "You pervert! Dae-hyung deserves proper romance. The riding starts only until after the third date."

“Anyway-,” Jongde says, totally ignoring everything that came from Sehun’s and Jongin’s mouth, “I’m heading to Minseok-hyung’s place and since I know you live in the same apartment unit, I figured you’d prefer to go with me instead of taking the bus." 

“Hyung, you’re such a knight-in-shining-armor material, I’d be your damsel-in-distress if you let me,” Jongin says, winking at him.

“Shut up,” Sehun rolls his eyes, “Dae-hyung, don’t listen to him, if you became his knight, you’d always be dealing with all the stupid decisions he made! For example, if he didn’t drink that nullifying potion accidentally, we wouldn’t be riding the bus in the first place!”

"Well if it wasn't for me, we wouldn't even be here at the bus stop talking to Dae-hyung!" 

More tussling ensues as Sehun and Jongin continue to argue. But Jongdae threatens to zap both of their asses if they both didn’t go in the backseat in ten seconds. The two overgrown babies sulk as they climb in, and throughout the whole ride, Jongdae keeps glancing at the rearview mirror, watching for any sudden movement at the back.

It feels weird to have two overgrown boys trail after him like ducklings as he walks towards Minseok’s apartment unit. Jongdae knows that Sehun and Jongin live across Minseok’s own so it should be normal that they’re going the same way, what isn’t normal is the fact that the two of them are hovering _so close_ , he can feel them breathing down his neck. 

Jongdae decides to walk the two to their unit first before going to Minseok’s place, he’d rather not have any more awkward situation in his hands, he still isn’t over the mortification of sitting on Minseok _(incredibly strong!!)_ thighs, and he’d like to save his remaining dignity if he can without the weird mojo that Sehun and Jongin are in.

The awkward conversation at their door is a testament that Jongdae made the right decision. It took every ounce of Jongdae’s control not to slam the door as he said goodbye to Sehun and Jongin.

_“Hyung, wanna come inside for a drink?”_

_“Sehun what the fuck- we ran out of alcohol yesterday!”_

_“What? Right, so hyung- are you a big fan of water?”_

_“Goodbye, boys.”_

_“Bye beautiful hyung~”_

Afterward, Jongdae walks over to Minseok’s unit and knocks on the door. 

Silence.

It’s weird, Minseok usually opens immediately when he knows he’s expecting guests. Jongdae lingers and tries again anyway, something must’ve come up. It takes about 10 minutes of him standing idly before Minseok finally opens his door, wearing sweatpants.

 _Only_ sweatpants. 

Jongdae averts his gaze, trying to control himself from asking stupid questions like if Minseok was sculpted by the gods himself.

“Oh! Sorry, Jongdae, I was in the shower earlier,” Minseok says as soon as he recognizes the person on his door.

Jongdae gulps as he finally takes in Minseok’s whole appearance, his hair is unstyled and damp, with his bangs sweeping just a touch above his eyes, making the frost mage look so _soft_ and cuddly _._

Then a stray drop of water sliding down Minseok’s chest catches Jongdae’s attention. He coughs as tries to keep his attention on Minseok's beautiful eyes but even that makes him feel all kinds of things, “That’s okay, hyung. Sorry I was late by the way, I had to send Sehun and Jongin home first, they were kind of acting weird.”

“Weird? How?” Minseok asks, but before Jongdae could answer, a soft _psst_ gets their attention. The culprits turn out to be the two boys in question, who are poking their heads outside their door, giggling and waving at Jongdae. 

Jongdae only waves back at the two boys across them, shaking his head at the high-pitched cooing sounds that he didn’t think Sehun and Jongin were able to emit. 

Minseok frowns, looking like he’s trying to make sense of the situation in front of him but failing to do so.

“Hey! Don’t frown at Jongdae-hyung! He might not be back here anymore if you’re mean to him.” Sehun shouts from their door. He glares at Minseok, totally uncaring that the frost mage is his senior and can turn him into a human icicle in a snap if he chooses to do so.

“Yeah! I’m still planning to charm my way into Dae-hyung’s heart!” Jongin agrees. 

“...and _pants!_ ” Sehun helpfully adds.

“Kind of like that,” Jongdae says despairingly, trying not to look mortified. “It’s a toss coin between weird flirting attempts and bold pick-up lines.”

“So you mean they’re bothering you,” Minseok observes.

“I mean- it’s nothing harmful or anything,” Jongdae defends, he knows Minseok can be a bit strict with the two when they’re being too mischievous for their own good, and no amount of puppy eyes works on Minseok when he becomes strict. “It’s just kind of mortifying for everyone around to hear pick-up lines out of nowhere I guess?”

“Hyung, one of these days I’m totally gonna charm you, just you wait,” Jongin says earnestly.

“One step closer to charming the pants off himself I say!” Sehun hollers, Jongdae tries not to choke when the wind fairy does his bedroom eyes again. 

Minseok sighs and shakes his head, then he snaps his fingers. Moments later, Jongdae hears two shrieks coming from Sehun and Jongin’s doorway.

“Right, that should do the trick,” Minseok says with a playful glint in his eyes.

When Jongdae looks back, he sees that the door is now sealed shut with icicles hanging over it. 

“Just a little scare tactic so they wouldn’t bother you like that again,” Minseok smiles as he crosses his arms over his chest, leaning on his doorway. Jongdae tells himself to focus on Minseok’s eyes so he won’t get distracted by the shapely pecs in front of him.

If anyone is the knight-in-shining-armor in this situation, Jongdae thinks it’s definitely Minseok. He’s more of a knight-with-glistening-pecs-and-blinding-smile sort of savior though, but he definitely isn’t complaining. 

“Anyway Jongdae, what are you doing here? I canceled the tutoring session after Yoonhoo and Seungjae told me that they can’t make it. I texted everyone in our group chat earlier,” Minseok says after a beat. 

“Oh no, I must’ve missed it since I’ve been driving for hours,” Jongdae’s mouth twists unhappily. So much for all that effort. He even wore his special perfume for the occasion. 

“You don’t have to apologize Dae,” Minseok smiles at him, and all thoughts of the potion flies from Jongdae’s mind, “I should’ve called or texted when I didn’t see your response earlier.”

“That isn’t your fault hyung!” Jongdae assures him, “I should’ve checked anyway!” Jongdae puts his hands up when he sees Minseok attempting to argue further, “Hyung, it’s totally okay!”

To Jongdae’s relief, Minseok finally concedes and brings his hands up in defeat, “Alright, no use arguing over it now.”

“Well, that means I’ll just go home now before I get caught up in traffic.”

“Jongdae, wait,” Minseok begins. 

When Jongdae looks at him, there’s a nervous look on his face, “Since you’re already here, maybe you can just eat dinner with me and we can watch a movie together? I also have some notes I think I can go over with you, your exam in the Weather Manipulation class is coming up soon right?” 

Jongdae isn’t going to lie, he isn’t prepared for this to end being a “date night” _(In your dreams Jongdae_ , _a voice that suspiciously sounds like Baekhyun would say_ ), but beggars can’t be choosers, so he’ll take every opportunity he can get. Jongdae purposely forgets that Minseok said academics is part of the agenda.

“Sure!” Jongdae beams happily as he enters Minseok’s apartment. 

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


The thing about being with Minseok is that Jongdae almost always ends up distracted. 

Jongdae's one on one with Minseok had been a glorious night with the two of them just talking about anything and everything. Jongdae asked him many things about the human world that he still can’t seem to grasp, and Minseok would divulge all that he knows. The dinner was also rather eventful, Minseok tried to cook but Jongdae could see his struggle since there were so many ingredients missing in his pantry _._

_“Oh shit, Jongdae I don’t have any rice!”_

_“Hyung, we can just order food you know.”_

Minseok even showed him a photo of the cat that he’s planning on adopting, and Jongdae gushed at how cute the cat is, cheekily saying that he’ll have a reason to visit more often now. 

Of course, it wouldn’t be Minseok if the frost mage didn’t manage to give Jongdae some meditation techniques to prepare him for his next exam in Weather Manipulation. 

Jongdae also noticed how Minseok became a little more touchy and giggly when they watched the movie. Minseok sat way too close to him on the couch, and he couldn’t help but be conscious of the body heat seeping from his side all night.

But Jongdae isn’t sure if it’s the potion’s effect that made him more desirable, or it’s just Minseok being influenced by the Soju and beer they drank. 

He was also too chicken to ask the mage out though. 

Fuck his life. 

So Jongdae checks his calendar, trying to see if he still has time to do something about it. He realizes that he has a few more weeks before the school break and Valentine’s, he’s sure he’ll have a chance sometime soon.

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


All plans to seduce his beloved frost mage, however, was put on pause when exam week started. It also didn't help when Jongdae found out that he only got a B on his Weather Manipulation exam, a bit higher compared to his earlier performances, but still lower than he expected from himself. 

Jongdae feels nervous, he’d prefer something to show off to his father when he comes back to the Fairy Realm. He was even planning to visit this weekend to at least have dinner with them before their trip, but that plan might get postponed for now since he needs to work harder first.

He also feels bad, he knows Minseok put an effort in compiling all the meditation tips that he gave him. But he wasn't able to maximize them. 

But he still texts Minseok about the exam despite his initial hesitancy and embarrassment.

_Minseokkie: Congratulations, your hard work showed improvements! I’m so proud! (≧◡≦)_

_JD: Still lower than I’d like tho!!! I’m sad._

_Minseokkie: Little steps, Dae! You’re doing well! ＼(＾▽＾)／_

_JD: But---_

_JD: You even gave me meditation tips to help me calm down, but I still can’t grasp weather manipulation properly :(_

_Minseokkie: That’s why I’m here! To help you~_

_Minseokkie: You can have a retest if you want? I know Prof. Jiwoo offers that._

_JD: He does~ I’ve already asked and it’s scheduled after our school break._

_Minseokkie: Tell you what, how about we have another session to help you prepare, I already have a few things in mind that can help you out. Are you free next Saturday? We can meet in the morning._

_JD: Isn’t next Saturday, February 14? Are you sure hyung?_

_Minseokkie: ????_

_Minseokkie: What do you mean??_

_JD: Hyung, that’s during our break, I don’t want to impose._

_JD: And isn’t that Valentine’s day? I might be ruining any personal plans you have._

_JD: I don’t want you to waste your break all because some dumb student of yours isn’t doing well on his exams._

_Minseokkie: Ok- first of all, you are not imposing, I don’t have any plans! And I like spending time with you! You’re not disturbing me at all._

_JD: But- :’(((((_

_Minseokkie: See you next Saturday ;)_

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


Jongdae’s mind is in a mix of excitement and apprehension.

First of all, he’s totally embarrassed. Minseok had obviously pitied him, that’s why the frost mage sacrificed his vacation time to help Jongdae out. But at the same time, he couldn’t help but feel fucking giddy at the thought that he’ll be spending Valentine’s with Minseok, it’s not how he imagined it would be, but he is nothing if not stubborn, so he knows he’ll figure out something soon.

So over the next few days, Jongdae is overwhelmed with studying (He doesn’t really need to make a fool of himself twice, thank you very much) preparing for a decent outfit and psyching himself up.

He became so busy and focused on his tasks that even Junmyeon even pointed it out while they were both hanging around their living room. 

“You seem to be very busy lately. Aren’t you supposed to be on break already? Mine started three days ago,” Junmyeon asks from where he’s sitting on the couch.

Jongdae looks up from the books he’s reading, he was so engrossed that it took him 10 seconds to understand what Junmyeon was asking him, “Hyung, I told you I’m preparing for the exam I had to retake after the break! You know I wanted to show father that I’m doing a good job here.”

“I can kind of see that,” Junmyeon answers, gesturing towards the books that Jongdae holed himself in. “But I don’t get why you keep practicing your smile in front of the mirror though, is it supposed to be an additional incentive in your class?”

“Oh-” Jongdae tries to say nonchalantly, wishing that the blush from the tip of his ears wouldn’t give him away, “I don’t know what you’re talking about hyung, you’re imagining things.”

“Jongdae, I caught you practicing your bedroom eyes last night, please don’t make the both of us go through that again.”

Jongdae sputters, “Y-you- I thought we agreed not to speak of that ever again! And besides, how would you even know what my bedroom eyes look like? _Hyung-”_

“Growing up together sometimes means I learn things, even if it’s against my will,” Junmyeon sighs, sounding like it was a great burden that he witnessed things that shouldn’t be mentioned anymore. “Anyway, you do realize that I can see your red ears all the way from where I’m sitting on the couch,” Junmyeon laughs, “Just spill it, it’ll be less painful for everyone.”

Jongdae sighs, feeling defeated, “I just don’t wanna embarrass myself when I meet with Minseok-hyung next Saturday,” he spills, “He told me he can help me out with my upcoming exam.”

“And practicing your smile is related….how?”

“I just don’t want to embarrass myself! I don’t want to look like an entire dork in front of him!”

“How is it different from the other times you’ve attended his tutoring session?”

 _“It’lljustbemeandhimokay”_ Jongdae quickly says, hoping he will leave him alone after that. Junmyeon can be pretty annoying sometimes when he starts teasing him. 

“Ooooh, _private_ review session huh?” Junmyeon says amusedly. “I didn’t realize that Minseok is a sly cat.”

Jongdae rolls his eyes, “He’s not like the sleazy dude you think he is.” 

“Calm down, I’m just kidding. We all know he’s literally the Ice Prince of the school, everyone will kill me if they hear me slandering their prince,” Junmyeon says. “Anyway, isn’t this supposed to be a good thing? You can actually spend your Valentine’s with him just like you dreamed. I told you never needed that dumb potion in the first place.” 

Jongdae whines, “I don’t know hyung, this is for school.”

“Well you got your Valentine’s “date”, no thanks to that weird concoction didn’t you?” 

“But I needed the boost and confidence!” 

“So take this as your much-needed boost, everything is going to be fine. Just be your usual sunshiney-self, everything will fall into place.“

“Thanks, hyung.”

“Now, no more practicing in the shared bathroom alright?” 

Jongdae briefly wondered if Junmyeon would tattle on him if he zapped him with electricity.

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


The reminder of the potion’s existence plagued Jongdae’s mind.

The truth is, Jongdae had finally lost hope that the potion he got is working. The two times he wore it only made him more self-conscious, all too aware and nervous of the intent behind the wafting smell of perfume around his body, he kept overthinking what might happen to the point that the result was just all too anti-climatic in the end. 

Jongdae tries to wonder if the situation back in the classroom was an illusion because Minseok didn’t act anything out of the ordinary when Jongdae compared it to that time he was inside Minseok’s apartment. 

Does almost cuddling next to him count? Maybe if he wants to stretch it, but Jongdae tries not to lead himself on, Minseok didn’t even bat an eyelash when Jongdae leaned his head on his shoulders when they were watching a movie. 

He feels a little sullen at the thought but decides to wear it anyway when he meets Minseok for his review session. Despite its ineffectiveness based on two accounts, Jongdae decides that he could still use a bit of support tonight. 

Surely if the potion didn’t work, the scent itself will hopefully work wonders by smelling divine.

Well, that was Jongdae’s first plan, up until he accidentally spilled perfume all over his front while dressing himself. He curses himself for being clumsy, then he took another shower right after to rinse off the potent smell.

He takes one last look at the mirror before getting the car keys Junmyeon left for him to use. It’s too bad that the water fairy wasn’t around today to take a final look at his outfit, but Junmyeon did give him some advice beforehand to make up for his absence. 

_“The cardigan is supposed to make you look all soft and cuddly! Minseok will want to curl up next to you.”_

On his way out, he can still recognize the faint smell of sandalwood and musk all over his body, but he decides to leave it be. Jongdae never really thought about how his perfume clings on one’s body when used in large doses, but he figures it can’t be that bad.

He immediately forgets the entire thing on his way out of the apartment.

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


Jongdae felt like he’s experiencing deja vu on his way to Minseok’s place. 

Jongdae isn’t a stranger to witnessing bizarre events, being around magic wielders (both fairies and humans) made him practically immune to its sight, but it’s weird when these strange things happen to _him_.

The first instance happened when Jongdae dropped by the bakery that sells Minseok’s favorite blueberry muffins. If he’s being honest, Jongdae would’ve preferred not going here because the owner (a grumpy man named Wu Yifan), doesn’t have the best customer service. Not to mention that the man terrifies him to his bones. In all the years that Jongdae has been living in the human realm, he can count on one hand the number of times people saw him smile or laugh, so he isn’t really looking forward to whatever scowl will be directed at him. 

Jongdae wants to escape the whole encounter unscathed, so readies himself when he sees Yifan manning the register. When he arrives at the front, Jongdae stoically barks out his order, wanting to get it over soon, unwilling to make any eye contact with the man. 

It was supposed to be a short and simple interaction, but right after paying for the baked goods, Yifan purposely touched Jongdae’s whole hand just as he was handing over his purchase. 

The action startled Jongdae and when he looked up, he saw Yifan _smiling_ at him.

“You should come back next time babe, I got all the _dough_ you will ever need,” and then he winks.

“Well,” Jongdae says after a beat, “Thank you for your consideration I guess?” 

Then he flees out of the bakery. 

Jongdae would admit that it wasn’t his manliest moment that he almost tripped in his haste to escape. 

Something is clearly going on. 

Yifan hates _everyone._

What the fuck?

  
  


The second instance happened just as Minseok opened the door to his apartment.

Jongdae texted Minseok while he was on his way up to his place, wanting to avoid another sweatpants only incident, while it was a welcomed attack, Jongdae would really rather not be subject to it after his weird encounter with Yifan. 

He notices Minseok’s door opening at the end of the hallway just as he’s getting off the elevator, but before the two of them make any eye contact, the slightly ajar door from Jongdae’s right suddenly bursts open. 

Jongdae doesn’t know the man who opened the door, only that he has probably seen him once or twice in the building. It wouldn’t be weird if it weren’t for the fact that this unknown man is looking at him with so much intensity that he begins to sweat. But then, the man does something even weirder. 

He _sings,_ or well, tries to. 

"Oh my sweet adorable fairy, you are my destiny!" he belts with confidence, uncaring that he sounded so out of tune. "The sight of you makes my hands go clammy, would you give me the honor of being my honey?"

Jongdae would’ve found it flattering, except for the fact that the man sounds like a dying bird, and this is the first time they ever interacted in all the times they came across each other before. 

So this declaration...wasn’t exactly what Jongdae was expecting as their first-ever topic. 

At this point, alarms are blaring in Jongdae’s mind, he doesn’t quite understand why people are suddenly _into him_ out of nowhere. Baekhyun had always told him that there comes a point in one’s life they’d be popular with all the ladies and gentlemen, but Jongdae is pretty sure that it wouldn't happen like this. 

Before Jongdae could respond to the man, Minseok grabs his wrists. Then he turns to his tone-deaf neighbor with an icy smile on his face, “Hi Sungho, remember that thing you made me promise not to tell our landlord about? If you don’t close the door right now, my tongue just might slip the next time they conduct an inspection in the building.”

Sungho takes one look at Minseok before letting out a frightened squeak, then he immediately steps back, closing his door in a hurry and the presence of Jongdae is totally forgotten. 

Now that Sungho is now effectively spooked, Minseok turns to him wordlessly, then he leads Jongdae to his apartment dragging him by the wrist, where hopefully no more bizarre events will follow. 

The frost mage makes him sit on the couch before leaving to fix him some tea. After Minseok finally puts the cup of hot beverage in Jongdae’s hands, that's when he finally asks, “Jongdae, what in the world is happening? Is there something you should be telling me?” 

“Uh..well,” He scratches the back of his neck, trying to come up with the right words to say, “I think there’s something weird going on?” he finally says vaguely, unsure how to say _‘Everyone is suddenly in love with me!!_ ’ appropriately. 

Minseok sighs, “That much I can see, especially after hearing Jongin and Sehun's argument last night.”

“Um?” Jongdae says confusedly, clearly not following where the conversation is going.

“They were arguing about _your best mole,”_ Minseok answers. 

Jongdae gulps, right. That totally just confirms his suspicions.

He tries to keep his face impassive, because clearly whatever is going on seems to be Jongdae-centric. Why else would he be the only one experiencing terrible pick-up lines and weird shenanigans? So he puts the cup down, trying to wrack his brain for any idea on what could make people suddenly be infatuated with him.

He also doesn't quite understand why people are always and only professing their love to him whenever he's going to meet Minseok that day. Did someone cast a spell on him when he was around? 

A thought hits him. 

Spell. 

Minseok. 

_Love._

Everything finally clicks in Jongdae's mind. 

It's the love potion, the one that he only wears whenever he knows he will see Minseok. 

_Oh god_ , it really was his fault. 

He really should've listened to Junmyeon when he said it was a terrible idea. 

Minseok must've noticed something in Jongdae's face when he suddenly asks, "Jongdae, did you do something?" 

“Well you see I uh- I found something cool on the internet?” Jongdae starts. It sounds even stupider now that the words are out of his mouth, and seeing Minseok’s exasperated look makes it even worse.

“And what kind of ‘cool’ is this?” The frost mage further probes. 

“Hyung- it was totally innocent!” Jongdae defends because clearly he’s seen the error of his ways without having to spell it out because that just makes him feel regret his actions even more. Jongdae should’ve paid attention to the big-red flag waving at him the minute he printed the potion recipe. 

Minseok merely lifts an eyebrow and Jongdae immediately confesses everything. 

“It was just something to make me likeable?” Jongdae half-lies, well it is partly the truth. Because confessing that he concocted a love potion isn’t going to do him any favors at this point. “I didn’t realize that it would translate to everyone suddenly wanting to climb me!”

“Jongdae, I know that you can wield magic better than most humans here, why would you even consider the internet?”

“Curiosity?" Jongdae honestly answers, because that actually the whole thing started anyway. “I just thought, there must be something cool and amazing out there! I was clearly duped into thinking I found one.”

Minseok only continues to look skeptical, but Jongdae can see the corner of his mouth twitching, so at least he can find some humor in it, and that totally means it’s not as bad as it looks.

“But hey! At least you’re immune! You can totally help me!” Jongdae says brightly, trying to deflect the situation, it mostly works to lift his own mood. Up until he realizes that among all the people who ‘fell in love’ with him, it just had to be Minseok who is _immune_ , the only love of Jongdae’s miserable life. 

What a fucking scam.

Minseok sighs, “Well you can try telling me more details and I’ll see what we can do.”

Jongdae then proceeds to tell Minseok the details about the potion and the bizarre incidents that followed, he only leaves out the part where he totally did it to win Minseok’s heart. 

Minseok mulls over the details after Jongdae finishes telling him all information that he deemed vital, “I guess it’s that good you managed to wash it away quickly before, and that you only met a handful of people the first few times you’ve worn it. But it seems being doused in it clearly had stronger effects. I don’t think a simple shower would help you at this point, especially since its effects are still so potent after rinsing it off already. And if we leave it as, Sungho and the giant babies next door might just pester you again. I’d help you out in keeping weirdos away, but freezing people is technically frowned upon in society, and if our school finds out, they will call us for disciplinary action.” 

Minseok pauses, tapping his fingers against his chin with his thinking face on as he further contemplates the situation, “I could try concocting a new potion to nullify the effect, but I’m not really well-versed when it comes to antidotes, especially when it came from the internet.”

Then, Minseok’s face brightens, looking like he won the lottery, “There is _someone_ that can probably help us out though.” 

Jongdae nods, feeling hopeful at Minseok’s enthusiasm, “I’ll do anything at this point.”

“Are you up for a little hiking Jongdae?”

  
  


💙✨🌙

  
  


The someone in question is apparently a very distant relative that came from an ancient coven and has extensive knowledge about magic and witchcraft. The frost mage explains that if there is anyone who can find a solution to Jongae’s current problem, it’ll be him. 

The only downside was that this friend broke his phone a few weeks ago and changed numbers, so calling him is out of the plan. Hence the hiking. Jongdae was a bit uneasy at the suggestion because he doesn’t know the extent and effect of the potion. He’s not exactly keen on the idea of a mountain man professing his undying love for him, and while he knows Minseok will help him, Jongdae also doesn’t want Minseok to frost anyone at his expense. 

But Minseok assures him that the route they’re using is rarely used by people, so hiking should be a breeze. Jongdae only nods, putting all his trust in the frost mage. 

Thanks to Minseok’s stealth skills, the travel to his friend’s place didn’t end up as chaotic as Jongdae feared it would. For one, their destination is outside the city, and so they had to drive out for a couple of hours. After driving, they also had to take a little hike up the mountains since the warlock’s place cannot be accessed by cars, which meant little to no encounter with any human being.

Jongdae is kind of thankful, he doesn’t know what he’d do if he had to fend off more _amorous_ people without resorting to violence. If his father gets a wind of this mess, his ass will be shipped back to the Fairy Realm m in a heartbeat.

Their hike went pretty well, starting out with a smooth trail along the woods, leading to a wide, earthen trail as they go higher up the mountains. It’s a good thing that the two of them decided to schedule the review session in the morning, because Jongdae wouldn’t know how to deal with things if it all happened at night. They wouldn’t have the chance to hike even if they wanted to. 

Halfway through their journey, a few forest creatures started following them, birds started flying around Jongdae’s head, chirping melodic sounds that Jongdae had started humming along to, and the creatures that didn’t sing ended up nesting on Jongdae’s head instead. Minseok told him it’s almost like witnessing a real, live, modern version of Snow White with the way small, fluffy animals started trailing after them during their hike.

They arrived at the warlock’s place two hours after, with only about three scratches on each of their bodies. A few animals got overly excited when Jongdae started petting the deers and rabbits that came up to him, but Minseok drew the line when they saw a bear a few meters away peeking its curious head in their direction.

The place isn’t anything Jongdae had expected it would be. When Minseok mentioned the word warlock, he had imagined something ancient, one with an unkempt yard and a rundown house with paint peeling off the wall. But the house looked like any ordinary townhouse that’s located just out of the suburbs. Jongdae figures that the outside look must’ve been a ruse just to keep nosy strangers at bay, but he ends up astonished when the two of them finally entered the building ( _The door automatically opened when they stepped in front! Is this a mall?)._

Inside, instead of seeing a big iron cauldron at the center, surrounded by shelves crammed with glass jars filled with repulsive and questionable items, it felt like Jongdae stepped inside an interior magazine with the way the house screamed _money and arrogance._

“I know what you’re thinking,” Minseok says out of the blue, “We’re at the right place. No other warlock would be caught dead living in such extravagance,” he adds with a laugh. “You could say that this particular warlock is just a special snowflake, and that’s also why I’m confident that he’s the best person that can handle our problem.”

When they arrive in the living room, an unfamiliar voice suddenly speaks, “Correction, I think the term: expensive, special snowflake is more appropriate.”

They turn towards the source of the voice and that’s when Jongdae finally sees a tall, lean man with dark hair and piercing eyes. He’s wearing a spiked leather jacket, numerous ear piercings, black skinny jeans, and combat boots that only emphasize the dangerous, powerful around him. The only thing that Jongdae is having a hard time connecting is the _old and ancient_ term that Minseok described him to be. 

“Tao-tao!” Minseok greets him. 

The dangerous aura immediately dissipates when the man pouts right after, “I told you not to call me that in front of guests!” 

Minseok shrugs, wearing a teasing grin on his face, completely unapologetic, “Sorry, Tao. Force of habit.”

Jongdae watches as Tao continues to pout, huffing as Minseok continues to coo at the warlock in question, looking like every bit of an elder brother doting on his favorite younger sibling. Jongdae wonders how the two of them got close.

After several moments of bickering, Tao finally gazes at Jongdae, “But I suppose you didn’t hike all the way here with a cute boy just to visit, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Minseok confirms. “We kind of need your help,” he further adds. “Tao, this is Jongdae, my thunder fairy friend. Jongdae, this is Tao, the warlock I told you about.”

Jongdae bows and waves at Tao, politely smiling as he greets the warlock in front of him. He kind of expected to receive a bow in return, but the reaction he receives just surprises him.

“Wait, _the_ Jongdae?” Tao asks excitedly. The reaction baffles Jongdae. This is the first time they saw each other in the flesh, how does he know him? It looked like Tao was going to ask something more, but a second later, a huge icicle darted past the warlock's face, sharply landing on the painting behind him.

“Hey! That was expensive!” 

“And there will be more where that came from if you don’t behave.” 

Tao huffs, “You’re no fun.” 

Jongdae feels a little curious about the vague conversation between Minseok and Tao, but he puts the thought away for the time being. He will ask about it some other time after this whole mess is resolved.

As soon as they were properly settled in the living room, Minseok began to explain the situation. “Something happened.”

“I think you’re going to have to be more specific than that.” 

Minseok looks at Jongdae, urging him to tell more details about his situation. It takes a while for Jongdae to speak, a bit unsure and nervous about how to start the story again without fucking up the information. He purposely left out a few details when he told his story to Minseok earlier, still trying to preserve his dignity. 

Thankfully, Tao seems to catch on to his hesitance, so he simply looks at Minseok, “I just remembered, I got you that cat-shaped tea strainer you’ve been raving about. You can use my tea leaves if you want to test it out.”

The frost mage perks up at the mention of the strainer, “Really?!” He asks, jumping a little from his seat. “ Well then, I guess I’ll go prepare some tea. Hopefully, that will help Jongdae to calm down. Tao-tao, don’t be mean to him okay?”

When Minseok is finally out of earshot, Tao immediately zeroes on him, “Go on, I think it’s safer for you to speak now, he won’t be able to hear you from the kitchen.”

Relief and embarrassment flood Jongdae’s veins. He is embarrassed that Tao can read him like an open book despite the fact that this is the first time that they've met, but he's also thankful that the warlock noticed his discomfort earlier because of Minseok’s presence. 

So Jongdae immediately takes the opportunity to tell his predicament in full detail, while Minseok is still busy fluttering around Tao’s kitchen. The only downside that happened was that the more Jongdae delves deeper into the story, the deeper Tao’s scowl gets. 

When Jongdae finally finishes telling his story, Tao narrows his eyes at him, "I should take your Internet away from you."

“I really thought it was harmless!” Jongdae defends. 

“And you think Googling is a harmless choice? Who is this guy you wanted to seduce anyway? Can’t you just ask him out like a normal person?”

Jongdae's eyes go wide and then looks helplessly at the kitchen where Minseok is. The frost mage in question seems to be too busy preparing tea inside Tao’s kitchen, oblivious to the loud voices coming from the living room. 

When Jongdae looks at Tao again, the warlock has a look of realization on his face. Then, a loud sigh escapes his mouth, “Dear God, help me. I'm surrounded by idiots."

Minseok pokes his head from the kitchen doorway, “Hey! Don't talk to Jongdae like that, he’s your hyung too,” he chides. “I won't watch horror movies with you anymore if you aren’t nice to my friends.”

“Technically, I’m thousands of years older than the both of you,” Tao contests, “I just like to retain my youthful glow because I’m powerful enough to do so.”

“One would think that being centuries-old meant that you’d care less about ghosts and yet here we are. Besides, in that form I am older than you and so is Jongdae, so we’re still your hyung.” Minseok answers back. A few minutes later, he comes out of the kitchen, holding a tray with mugs of tea on it.

“Please help me, I don't want to live like a hermit until this shit wears off,” Jongdae interrupts, trying to de-escalate the situation before the bickering gets any worse. Minseok wouldn’t even be here in the first place if not for Jongdae anyway. 

Tao nods, clearly taking pity on him. He takes a sip of the tea that Minseok prepared, then a thought occurs to him, “Okay, but I just needed to know. Tell me again why are you here?” He asks Minseok. 

“Well I have to accompany Jongdae, or else he’ll get lost.” 

“No- I mean, I thought everybody you encountered got affected.”

“Hyung is immune,” Jongdae answers on Minseok’s behalf, “So he’s helping me out.” 

“Immune,” Tao says flatly. “To a magic potion that’s supposed to affect everyone.” 

"You're unaffected too," Minseok counters. 

Tao scoffs at the accusation, "Ancient magic flows within my veins. I am _above_ those little silly things you call potions." He raises one of his immaculately shaped eyebrows, looking very offended. Then Jongdae wonders if _he_ should be offended, Tao looked so disgusted at the mere idea of being attracted to Jongdae, but he lets it go.

“Well then Mister Venerable,” Minseok says, “What is it that we can do to get Jongdae out of this situation?”

Tao comes up with a plan as soon as he finishes reviewing the recipe that Jongdae found on the Internet. The warlock explained that it'll be easy, since the incantation was done under the new moon, creating an antidote to reverse the spell should be quick. 

"I already have a basic recipe that I can use for the antidote, but it should be created while the full moon is out since the power of the moon enhances the properties of the substance. Jongdae-hyung is lucky that the full moon will appear tonight.”

Tao then holes up inside his witchcraft room right after, stating that he has less than an hour to prepare the ingredients before the full moon reaches a certain part of the sky, which is vital to the antidote he’ll be making, and he needs all the peace he can get to get it correct.

He leaves Jongdae and Minseok in the living to entertain themselves in the meantime, stating that waiting while they’re bored is their punishment for involving him in the first place. 

"Sorry you had to do this hyung,” Jongdae says after a moment of silence. “on your vacation day no less."

Jongdae feels Minseok glance at him, "Jongdae, I've told you a thousand times. You don't have to apologize for this. I'm doing this not because I feel obligated, but because I want to. I like spending time with you. Even if it meant hiking around the woods because of some magical mishap caused by irresponsible use of Google."

The last sentence manages to make Jongdae laugh, "That one I'll sincerely apologize for. I guess Junmyeon-hyung was right, I shouldn't be using Google nonchalantly. Now you're stuck with me today.”

"I mean, it could be worse?” Minseok answers, ”It's definitely a memorable way to spend my Valentine's day for sure, especially since I'm spending it with someone I like."

Jongdae feels his cheeks color, "Hyung, you don't have to butter me up just because I'm having a shitty day. I know you'd prefer being on a date right now."

"I mean, this one isn't how I imagined our first date would go, but I can always take you out again so we could start over."

Jongdae turns to Minseok, eyebrows raised. “You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say the potion is starting to have an effect on you." Jongdae nervously chuckles, not used to all this fond and flirty sort of teasing coming from the frost mage. "Wait, is it really affecting you? I suppose it's bound to have some side effects, maybe because too much close proximity is messing with your senses-”

Minseok coughs at the mention of the potion, looking bashful and hesitant. 

"Uh- about that," Minseok sighs defeatedly. “I wasn't really…immune.”

Jongdae blinks, “So you mean, it’s having an effect on you now…?”

Minseok shakes his head. “No…that’s not what I meant-”

The frost mage pauses for a moment, then he meets Jongdae’s eyes. 

Minseok’s gaze is heavy and his eyes are so dark, and Jongdae feels his mouth go dry. ”I'm immune because I'm already…used to feeling things for you, even before all this happened.” 

Jongdae only stares at him like a dumbass. 

When he doesn't say anything more after a few minutes, Minseok gets up and leaves, shutting the main door behind him with a soft click. 

Once he's alone, Jongdae experiences a bit of trouble breathing, feeling like all the air in his lungs has been drawn out because of Minseok's confession. It felt difficult for Jongdae to take in the revelation that Minseok dropped. 

He only gets to his senses when he notices the warlock walking toward him holding a small bottle in his hand. 

"Uhm Tao, what just happened?" Jongdae asks, because surely Tao, the all-knowing warlock, knows what’s going on. After all, he even knows Jongdae in the first place. 

"Well? What are you waiting for, fairy boy?" Tao asks him, clearly, he heard the conversation that took place earlier. "Isn't it about time you finally man up and confess? Minseok-hyung already beat you to it, all you need to do is reply,” then he hands Jongdae the antidote.

"You should know that potions have different capabilities and effects," Tao begins to explain. "Yours, which had mildly disastrous results, has a purer purpose compared to the ones I've dealt with in the past. Using the potion meant that your personality and physical attributes were amplified in the eyes of strangers, and as a result that influenced their behavior and perspective of you. For a short amount of time, their brain was temporarily tricked into thinking that what they feel for you is more than platonic love and attraction, which previously didn't cross their mind before. That's why the others started hitting on you and flirting with you. But...pure intent and affection, which Minseok-hyung had, is something that is beyond this potion's capability. That's why despite its effects, he still acts normal whenever he's with you. The potion cannot influence and amplify a feeling that's already magnified in the first place."

Jongdae stares at the warlock after his long explanation, his mind still reeling at the bomb Tao dropped on him, “But- I just never imagined I’d actually get to this part of my love story. Imagining that he might like me back is one thing, but experiencing it in reality? I only thought I needed to woo him first. I’m not emotionally prepared at all,” Jongdae murmurs, trying to collect his thoughts. 

“Don’t sell yourself short, I don’t think you really need any potion to snatch his heart. With the way Minseok-hyung has been mooning about you for ages, I know he’s sure of his affections for you. He was just a little hesitant because of your tutor-tutee relationship, and he is too much of a gentleman to do anything that might upset that. But since we’re stuck in this strange situation, you need to get your butt out there and claim the man of your dreams.”

So Jongdae wears the antidote, and hopes for the best. 

He finds Minseok sitting by the creek a few distances away from Tao's house, thankful that the bright moonlight illuminated his path. He sees Minseok petting a deer, the creature putty underneath his soft hands. Jongdae tries to walk quietly so he won't disturb the serene moment he is witnessing, but then he steps on a twig, and the sound gets the deer's attention, causing them to run away as soon as they notice Jongdae’s presence. 

Right, so at least that means Tao's antidote works then.

Jongdae finally makes eye contact with Minseok, and the frost mage just pats the boulder beside him, urging him to come closer. Jongdae gulps, gathering all his courage within him, and walks towards Minseok. 

Similar to their situation in Tao’s living room, the two of them just sit in silence for a while, basking in the soothing sounds of nature around them, the chirping birds, the running water in the nearby creek. 

When Jongdae finally gathers enough courage, he boldly asks, "So, does that invite for tomorrow night still stand?" 

A small chuckle escapes Minseok, and Jongdae feels warm and hopeful. Minseok is wearing that gummy smile of his, the one where his upper lip almost disappears with how wide he’s grinning, and he’s got these crinkles that appear around his eyes. 

The look lights up his entire face, and Jongdae realizes that it’s the smile that he first fell in love with. 

Slowly, Minseok raises one of his hands and softly places them on Jongdae’s cheek. The contact makes Jongdae gasp in surprise, and he holds his breath as Minseok leans closer, “You know,” he says conversationally, “the owner of the noodle place is actually also a family friend of mine.”

Jongdae’s stomach flips at what he’s implying, “Really now?”

“Uh-huh,” Minseok confirms, “I suppose I can ask a personal favor to reserve a table for two since I'm such a dutiful nephew.”

“Hyung,” Jongdae says after a beat, “are you trying to seduce me with noodles?”

“That depends, is it working?”

“You dork, no seduction is needed in the first place! Of course, I’ll go with you.”

“Great! It’s settled then!” 

Then the playful atmosphere shifts when Minseok looks at his lips and he shifts closer. When Minseok is finally a hair's breadth away from Jongdae lips, he softly whispers, "Is this okay?"

In response, Jongdae finally closes the last distance between their lips, no longer to resist the force that’s drawing him in. At that moment, he likens himself to an ocean wave, one that can’t help but inevitably kiss its shoreline. 

The thing about first kisses is that Jongdae had expected that theirs would be something monumental and life-changing. But imagining it versus _actually experiencing_ it are two different things. Minseok’s kiss is innocent and sweet. It’s a mix of everything Jongdae dreamed about and _more_. Despite Jongdae's mastery of the human's basic language, he finds himself at loss for words on how to perfectly describe Minseok's taste and scent against his own skin.

When Minseok kisses him, all Jongdae could think about is if it’s possible to experience this feeling _again_ just like it happened the first time. 

Jongdae had often thought that with all the charisma oozing from Minseok’s body, the frost mage will be the one who'll be more aggressive out of the two of them. But instead, Minseok lets Jongdae lead the kiss, letting him take over as he swallows Minseok's moans. 

The pure elation and happiness swirling in Jongdae's gut are so strong, he feels like he could burst, like he can do the impossible. With all the whirlwind of emotions raging inside him, Jongdae had half a mind to expect that a bolt of lightning would strike any time soon.

But when Jongdae finally kissed Minseok underneath the moonlight, it began to _snow._

Turns out, Minseok’s kiss is more magical than every spell combined.

  
  


💙✨🌙

From the distance, Jongdae could hear Tao complaining, "Hey lovebirds! Couldn't you two have kissed when you're finally away from my house?! The herbs I planted yesterday are going to get ruined!”

Instead of answering, Jongdae only pulls Minseok for a deeper kiss, tasting Minseok’s beautiful smile reserved just for him.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for making it this far! I hoped you liked it!


End file.
